Atwood Girl's Life Changed By Cochlear Implant
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
ATWOOD - When Melanie Bennett was 3 months old, her parents noticed something just wasn't right with their little bundle of joy.
While from all appearances she seemed to be a normal, healthy infant, Brooke and Rob Bennett began to get a sneaking suspicion that may not be the case.
"At first, we thought it was just great how she could sleep through anything," Brooke said. "But, then we started to notice that she actually had a hearing loss."
Several visits to their pediatrician showed nothing wrong, but the Bennetts were growing more and more concerned. At 4 months, they took Melanie to a specialist, who confirmed that Melanie did indeed have hearing loss - a profound hearing loss.
"People with normal hearing have about 10,000 cilia on the cochlea in the middle ear. Melanie has about 20," Brooke said. "That's when the people at Riley Hospital for Children recommended a cochlear implant."
The severity of Melanie's hearing loss was what prompted such a drastic recommendation, Rob said.
"They won't just implant any child, because if they have any hearing at all, they'll lose what they have when they put the implant in," he said.
With a cochlear implant, speech and sounds are picked up by a microphone and sent to a speech processor. The processor codes the sounds into an electrical signal which is sent via a cable to a transmitting coil. The coil passes the signal through the skin to the implant, which transforms the signal to electrical pulses. The pulses pass from the electrode array and stimulate hearing nerve fibers within the cochlea.
The procedure on Melanie was completed on Dec. 30 and the device was activated in mid-February after she had a chance to heal. Hearing sounds for the first time was a little traumatic for Melanie, according to Brooke.
"When we first brought her home, the television or the dog barking would scare her and she'd run to Daddy," she said. "But now, she's just like any other 2 year old."
Melanie spends 30 minutes, twice a week, with a therapist with the First Steps Program offered through the Cardinal Center. Through her work there, she now has a 30-word vocabulary - much like any other child at 26 months old, Brooke said.
"They say that as she grows, she'll be able to hear better than the average person," Brooke said. "We kind of look at it like the kid who sits in the back of the class who can't see the board getting glasses. She just has them for her ears."
While the procedure has required some adjustments for the Bennetts, they see all the trouble as more than worth it.
"It's tough to see a child at 18 months have to go through that," Rob said. "But, we're very thankful for the program at Riley's."
Riley Hospital for Children does about 40 cochlear implant procedures a year, Rob said.
"It would be great if Melanie's story can help someone else get some help if they need it," Rob said. "The longer you wait, the harder it will be to adjust."
Brooke said she is thankful not only for the Riley surgeons who performed the surgery, but for the concern and caring shown by family members, friends and even strangers.
"Melanie's sister, Morgan (age 7), has been such a great help," Brooke said. "She knows more sign language than either Mom or Dad.
"I've also really been pleased when I'm at the store and someone asks about the equipment," she said. "I'm so proud of her, I don't mind at all telling people how she's doing."
Rob said he and Brooke have the same high hopes for Melanie as any parents of a child with normal hearing would.
"No, she's just a normal child. She plays ... she gets disciplined like any other child," he said. "We're expecting her to go to kindergarten and to public school, just like any other child." [[In-content Ad]]
ATWOOD - When Melanie Bennett was 3 months old, her parents noticed something just wasn't right with their little bundle of joy.
While from all appearances she seemed to be a normal, healthy infant, Brooke and Rob Bennett began to get a sneaking suspicion that may not be the case.
"At first, we thought it was just great how she could sleep through anything," Brooke said. "But, then we started to notice that she actually had a hearing loss."
Several visits to their pediatrician showed nothing wrong, but the Bennetts were growing more and more concerned. At 4 months, they took Melanie to a specialist, who confirmed that Melanie did indeed have hearing loss - a profound hearing loss.
"People with normal hearing have about 10,000 cilia on the cochlea in the middle ear. Melanie has about 20," Brooke said. "That's when the people at Riley Hospital for Children recommended a cochlear implant."
The severity of Melanie's hearing loss was what prompted such a drastic recommendation, Rob said.
"They won't just implant any child, because if they have any hearing at all, they'll lose what they have when they put the implant in," he said.
With a cochlear implant, speech and sounds are picked up by a microphone and sent to a speech processor. The processor codes the sounds into an electrical signal which is sent via a cable to a transmitting coil. The coil passes the signal through the skin to the implant, which transforms the signal to electrical pulses. The pulses pass from the electrode array and stimulate hearing nerve fibers within the cochlea.
The procedure on Melanie was completed on Dec. 30 and the device was activated in mid-February after she had a chance to heal. Hearing sounds for the first time was a little traumatic for Melanie, according to Brooke.
"When we first brought her home, the television or the dog barking would scare her and she'd run to Daddy," she said. "But now, she's just like any other 2 year old."
Melanie spends 30 minutes, twice a week, with a therapist with the First Steps Program offered through the Cardinal Center. Through her work there, she now has a 30-word vocabulary - much like any other child at 26 months old, Brooke said.
"They say that as she grows, she'll be able to hear better than the average person," Brooke said. "We kind of look at it like the kid who sits in the back of the class who can't see the board getting glasses. She just has them for her ears."
While the procedure has required some adjustments for the Bennetts, they see all the trouble as more than worth it.
"It's tough to see a child at 18 months have to go through that," Rob said. "But, we're very thankful for the program at Riley's."
Riley Hospital for Children does about 40 cochlear implant procedures a year, Rob said.
"It would be great if Melanie's story can help someone else get some help if they need it," Rob said. "The longer you wait, the harder it will be to adjust."
Brooke said she is thankful not only for the Riley surgeons who performed the surgery, but for the concern and caring shown by family members, friends and even strangers.
"Melanie's sister, Morgan (age 7), has been such a great help," Brooke said. "She knows more sign language than either Mom or Dad.
"I've also really been pleased when I'm at the store and someone asks about the equipment," she said. "I'm so proud of her, I don't mind at all telling people how she's doing."
Rob said he and Brooke have the same high hopes for Melanie as any parents of a child with normal hearing would.
"No, she's just a normal child. She plays ... she gets disciplined like any other child," he said. "We're expecting her to go to kindergarten and to public school, just like any other child." [[In-content Ad]]